Penny-Pincher
by BizarreImage
Summary: When Ino's financial problems get out of control a friend offers a helping hand. Kakuzu/ Ino
1. Chapter 1

_So one would think there would be some fics with Hidan, Kakuzu and Ino, but there aren't that many! It's a shame, I think they are just plain awesome characters. This is a Kakuzu/ Ino with some Hidan/ Ino along with slight side pairings, planning to go a bit filthy on later chapters so if you're not into that sort of thing, go back now. _

_I d__on't own Naruto or any of its characters and make no profit what so ever._

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Ino didn't know how the hell she had gotten into this mess. A minute ago she had been sharing a banter with one of her costumers, laughing and cracking jokes while tending the tables while scrapping her tip into a pocket, and now here she was, having her walk of shame back to her apartment. Jobless and full of misery and self-loathing.

This was the third job she had gotten fired from in less than two months, and she hadn't even managed to get enough money to pay this month's rent. Her landlord is going to kill her, or worse, kick her out! Dammit!

Actually, she was surprised he'd tagged along with her bullshit as long as he did, months of lousy pleading, excuses and late rents had worked for her thus far, surprisingly, but now she knew she'd kick the bucket.

She stomped and wanted to give a growl of frustration as she reached a red light but opted for clenching her jaw and grinding her teeth painfully. She knew it was mostly her fault for letting herself be wound up so easily, but there was so much she could take.

She knew from the start that she had to take a lot of serious shit in this line of job, in the end, costumer's pleasure was the priority. But tonight, it just had been too much. One rude complain was one thing, a rude remark towards her was something completely different.

Dumb blonde, bimble, slut, bitch, cunt... The last one had definitely done it. Who just did he think himself to be? Asshole.

'_You have too much pride, Ino. You'll never get anywhere with that ridiculously, imprudent, troublesome attitude,_' She could almost hear Shikamaru right now. She couldn't help it and besides, being a smart ass and a bitch could be so much fun. Though she did think that sometimes the fun wasn't worth the consequences. Like now.

What would her dad think of her princess not being able to even keep a third grade job? And there was absolutely no objection to the fact it was her fault, she'd had the means and resources to get far, but she just didn't take advantage of it. She had blamed others for her misfortune before she finally came to realize the only obstacle she had was herself.

She sighed and kicked a pebble off the pavement into the streets of rushing cars. She missed being a teen, everything was so much simpler, back then her worry was getting a prom date and getting good grades. She could almost laugh at the ridiculousness of her high school dramas; boyfriends, girlfriends, homework, parents, curfews, prom... They seemed so petty now.

It felt like days when she graduated from college, to think she would turn twenty three next month was certainly stomach churning.

_Fuck I'm old. _

Green light hit and she gave the first step when there was a loud screech and Ino shrieked when the headlights of a car almost ran her over, instead stopping dead an inch from her hip, the heated puff of the engine caressing her bare legs. Ino remained petrified, uncaring for the ridiculous pose she had flinched into, and slowly letting the situation dawn down on her she blinked once and recovered her posture.

"Watch it, you moron! You almost ran me over! Learn to drive a car, imbecile! The line is way over there! It's not that fucking hard, you primate!" In the rage of the moment she kicked the car with force, and even though it hurt more than she would have liked it to, the pain only added to her anger. At once the driver's door opened and out came a broad, muscular, dark skinned man. To say he was scary looking was an understatement.

Ino felt something inside her recoil. Oh,_ fuck_!

"I hope, _for your sake_, you didn't leave a scratch." Threatened the man lowly, looking at the front of the car to check no harm was done. Ino crossed her arms and stood her ground, unfazed by the man's threat. They were in the middle of the street with cars and people walking, if he thought hollow threats were going to do the job, he was wrong.

"Perhaps if you knew how to drive properly you wouldn't have to worry about pedestrians leaving scratches."

Ino tried to look as intimidating as possible, taking advantage her heels gave her a few inches growth, but even then, she only reached the man's chin. He glowered her direction before kneeling down to examine the metal with further scrutiny and Ino hoped she'd left a scratch, that'd show him.

"My driving was just fine, _you_ should look where you're going."

She noted his fancy attired and couldn't help bickering; another rich douche-bag who thinks himself better than the rest. What was this? Meet an asshole day? That could be the title of the story of her life.

"Tell that to the next person you run over!"

He slowly rose from his spot, towering over Ino easily, his eyes going up her length until they reached her eyes, and at their greeting, Ino felt a light shiver course up her spine.

"Maybe next time I should run you over and save me your whining. One less dumb blond to spare."

She acted before she could even register her movements and when she did she could only gape at the man's face turned to the side by the force of the blow, absolutely mortified.

Part of her wanted to stick her nose up and pump the air with her fists but the more mature, and more logical part of her knew she made a bad move, and this was only reinforced when the man craned his neck unbearably slow to look at her, stiff and dangerous, bones almost creaking at the pent up tension.

_He's going to murder me!_

If she already felt herself being torn apart just by his glare, she didn't want to fathom what those hands would do to her. In a strike of panic she rose her hands in a show of submissiveness and as means of defense, unaware that she took a step back, she spoke. "I-I'm so sorry, I didn't mean that!"

And she was being genuine. What the hell was she thinking? Hitting people in the street in a tantrum? Kicking cars? She could have easily walked away from the start. But, no, she had to stick and probe the wound further. Press buttons until a limit was reached-That was her problem, she just didn't know when to say enough.

"It's been a rough day, I'm sorry. Let me make it up to you!" Ino quickly added, noting how her previous apology had done little to ease the man's growing fury. Even if people walked by them, some reluctant and others scowling and mostly amused, Ino no longer felt safe in the crowd as this man took an imposing step towards her. She gulped audibly and the idea to run off and never turn back sounded good until-

A clap got her attention and the two of them turned towards the car, where a second individual leaned against the hood of the car and clapped like he'd just finished watching a stand up comedy show, head falling down and shoulders shaking as a loud cackle made itself clear. The man threw his head back and cleaned the tears of his eyes, letting out a throaty breath.

"I haven't laughed this hard in ages! Thank you!" He called out, running a hand through his slicked back hair before purple eyes glazed over Ino to the man beside her. "Kakuzu, you totally got your ass handed to you! And by a girl, you suck balls, man!"

Ino looked at the man as if he had grown three heads. This was hardly a situation to be amused at.

"Shut up." Growled the brunette, sending a bone chilling glare at his seat partner. "Get back in the car."

"Can't you see I'm busy?" Asked the albino irritated towards the broader man, gesturing to Ino with a heavy frown to further emphasizing his point. "What's your name, blondie? You're hilarious!"

Great. Someone else who likes laughing at her misfortunes._ Get in line_! With a roll of her eyes Ino decided to ignore the white haired man, deciding that the main issue at hand was the giant standing in front of her.

"I really don't want any more problems tonight and from the looks of it, you've got your hands full too. We're both obviously at the limit of our temper so how about we go our ways and never cross paths _ever_ again?" Not to mention she had a hell of a walk to look forward to.

The man's-Kakuzu- scowl didn't disappear but Ino noted the previous hostility in his eyes had faded and was replaced with scrutiny. He opened his mouth to talk but his words were drowned as the albino shouted over.

"For crying out fucking loud, Kakuzu! Look at her, she couldn't even break a tissue with that frailty of hers. Besides, if she did -by some miracle and your fucking luck- do some_ mild_ damage you have enough money to pay it off!"

She didn't know if to be flattered or offended, she opted for the latter. She was by no means a mere weakling!

"Excuse me." Ino growled through gritted teeth, hands falling to her hips. The albino looked her way with eyebrows arched, genuinely confused.

"You are excused?" He looked down at her feet before looking her back up again with a smirk, blatantly checking her out, before slowly trailing his eyes back to hers. "Say, don't you want a ride? Those heels look smoking hot-I mean painful!"

As much as her feet wanted to say yes and jump inside, she knew better. Thus with a blunt "No, thanks." She focused on Kakuzu once again, noting that the traffic light was blinking red.

"Look, if I caused any damage to your car just send me a mail to this address and we'll talk it out, yes? Again, its been a hell of a day and didn't mean to take it out on you," _Mind you, you still can't drive for shit!_ She searched into the belt of her skirt, pulling out paper and pen, stopping to oddly appreciate the momentum of her ex-job before scribbling down on it urgently.

She ripped the paper and handed it to him. And without further notice Ino made a run to cross the street, cursing inwardly at the agonizing ache growing on her toes with each infuriating step. To think she had yet another twelve blocks to go... The thought of getting home and landing flat on her bed sounded like heaven. However, getting home also meant meeting Sakura and breaking the news to her. Just thinking about another earful made her groan.

A few steps past the pavement and she heard someone shouting, cursing her curiosity she looked over her shoulder to see the albino crossing the streets at red light. The cars honked at him and in retaliation he flicked them off with offensive gestures and colorful language.

Ino shook her head and kept on her way. Was it so hard to have a silent walk home? Just once?!

"Hey, wait up!" He called out and with growing disinterest Ino pretended not to hear him until she felt a large hand wrap around her bicep and pull her to a full stop whilst successfully turning her around. He noted the annoyed expression on her face and he turned slightly defensive. "Hey, now, just wanted to talk. Would it hurt to give me a bit of your time?"

Ino pulled her arm back harshly from his hold and took a step back with a distrusting look. "What do you want?"

"I'm just going to cut to the chase here. You seem like a nice girl, and as you can see, I like nice girls-" He offered a smug smile and Ino rolled her eyes exaggeratedly as she began to fathom where this conversation was going, her incredulous gesture didn't go unnoticed. "Hear me out, yeah? I'd like to get to know you better, nothing wrong with that, is there? And as you'll obviously won't give me your number, I'll give you mine in case you're interested. Give me a call and we can meet up."

He pulled out a card from his wallet and offered the small card between his index and middle finger. "I guarantee you it'll be worth it."

The thought of slapping him across the face grew to be tentative. She let her head fall while one hand went to pinch her nose bridge._ Breathe, Ino, breathe_...She silently counted to ten before she met his anticipating eyes. "Do I look like a damn hooker to you?"

His laugh caught her off guard. "Sweetheart, I wouldn't be wasting my time with you if you were one." She winced at 'sweetheart' she absolutely hated that pet name. She must have made a face because he expanded his argument further. "You just seem like a cool girl to tag along with, that's all. We could hang at the cinema, if you want? Or are you more of a coffee talk girl? Whatever you choose I'm game."

Ino looked at the card momentarily, taking it without truly reading the contents. "And why the hell would I be interested?" Sure he might be good looking, oddly charming, and like he had some money to spare, and it certainly had been a while since she'd had some proper fun since the aggravating welcome to adulthood.

"Because I think it'll be fucking awesome." He gives her an shit eater smile and something in it, a slight glint in his eyes, catches her interest. "Give it a chance at least, you never know." He winked at her coquettishly.

The blond let out a sigh and ran a hand through her hair. This was not a good day to get hit on. "I'll think about it."

However, that response made the man in front of him beam a genuine smile. _He has a nice smile_. "Great!" He buried his hands into the pocket of his trousers. "You sure you don't want a ride?"

Ino's eyes fluttered to look at Kakuzu who was leaning against the trunk of the car looking at them with the most disgruntled expression Ino had seen any human being do, and that was saying something considering she knew the Uchiha brothers and Shikamaru Nara. "Thanks but no thanks, I don't want to give him further reason to hate me." _Or to increase my in-coming bill._

"Never mind Kakuzu, he hates everything and everyone, just like the old crook he is." He snorted while Ino still looked at Kakuzu. **_Old_** crook? Only one of those things seemed likely.

"I'm good," Ino said. "Okay then... see you later, I guess."

"Yeah! Later, sweetheart! Looking forward to your call!"

He retreated, holding up his hand to the side of his head in a vague imitation of a phone, and with a tilt of his head he turned around and walked the opposite direction, leaving Ino gaping blankly. She was stuck between 'what the actual fuck' and squealing in joy. Her eyes dropped down to look at the card.

It was quite simple. Bold black letters writing 'Hidan Yugakure' followed by a line of different form of contacts outlined below it; cellphone, office, fax and email address, with a small photograph of said man giving a lady killer smile. Everything about this guy screamed arrogant, arrogant, _arrogant_. Even so, he had sparked her interest.

Besides, Ino was always up for some fun.


	2. Chapter 2

Hello! Thank you for those who have taken interest in this story and reviewed :) Hopefully I can keep this going :) Have a great day!

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Telling Sakura had definitely been a mistake.

"Just you wait until Shikamaru hears about this!"

Ino thought it funny how everyone used Shikamaru instead of her father as the authoritative, controlling figure in her life. Then again, that name was used in good purpose as Ino preferred to have Shikamaru's annoyed scorns rather than her father's disappointed sighs, just barely though.

Still, Ino couldn't help shrugging and taking a bite of the apple, eyes focusing on the magazine she was reading. _Oh, the Mizukage suspected of a boob job? I knew it._

"I can't believe you!"

Yup, telling Sakura had been the worst decision.

And Ino's belittling of the situation did nothing but add fuel to Sakura's anger as the pinkette raged at Ino's door frame with hands on her hips. "Ino are you listening to me? Do you think you should be as calm as you are now? Maybe I should repeat myself, you are jobless and soon-to-be homeless!"

Ino was trying, really hard, not to loose her temper. "I know! You think I don't get the severity of the situation Sakura? I'm not a kid-"

"You are acting very much like one." Interrupted Sakura. "Why did you get fired this time? The schedule wasn't to your likings? You didn't want to work on weekends? Didn't you like one of the girls? Public indiscretion? Did you get drunk on the job? Did you freak out on another costumer? What? I am at the point that anything is possible with you! I'm sorry Ino, but sometimes you have to take other people's shit!"

Ino slammed her magazine to a close, screwing her eyes shut to conceal her anger.

_Deep breath. That's the trick. Block her out; count to ten..._

"Not everything goes the way you want to, you won't get people bowing down to you and have everything go the way you want just out of a whim. Not everything is fun and games!"

_Shut up Sakura!_

Sakura pinched her nose bridge and gave a loud sigh. "Seriously Ino, when are you going to grow up?!"

And that was just the thing, she didn't want to grow up. Why did she? Responsibilities? Duties? Commitment? She could just laugh at the idea. She noted her bed creak when Sakura sat next to her, one of her hands sliding to grasp Ino's and give it a slight squeeze. It was ridiculous how such a small act could be so comforting and at the same time so irritating.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scream at you. I just wanted-It's just frustrating seeing you go down like this when you have so much potential..." Sakura was being genuine, she always is and Ino hated to be the reason of her distress but at the same time she hadn't asked for people to worry, she could handle her own business by herself well enough! Ino gave a heavy hearted sigh and pulled her hand from under Sakura's and turned her eyes the opposite direction from her friend.

"If you need help you know I can ask Naruto to-"

"No!" Ino replied far too quickly for her likes. She turned to face Sakura but still her eyes were casted downwards. "I've already told you I don't need any help. You've done me enough favors. Just...stay out of my business. I appreciate you worrying but all you guys do is stress me out further. So what if I'm not doing as great as you guys? So what if I like wasting my life away doing petty jobs? It's my life, let me live it as I want!"

"You have a diploma and a degree, why can't you aim a little higher for crying out loud? You can do better than being a waitress!"

"I'm sorry if I disappoint you, _mom_!"

"I'm not trying to be your mother!" Sakura rose from the bed and Ino followed suit, the two girls a breath away from lunging at one another like wild animals.

"Then stop acting like one!"

Sakura rose her fisted hands into her face and let out a frustrated growl. "You are intolerable, pig!"

"You're one to talk, Billboard forehead!"

Then at a sudden lack of breath the two women breathed harshly, their bodies an inch from each other radiating furious heat. Before they could restart their heated argument, they heard a slight alarm coming from the door. Sakura being closest to the exit straightened herself up and pushed her hair back into position before she headed to the door, leaving Ino to fry out. A trick which always seemed to work as when Sakura returned Ino was sitting on her bed and the atmosphere was no longer antagonistic but neutral.

"It was the neighbors," Sakura informed, trying to break the unbearable, awkward silence between them. Ino didn't budge from her spot and gratified Sakura with a slight turn of her head in her direction. "We got another noise complain."

After a brief silence, Ino let out a slight snort, followed by Sakura, and before long the two girls had broken out into a fit of laughter. They looked at each other and laughed hard. The atmosphere eased and Sakura took the opportunity to speak again, her voice low and reassuring.

"Please, if you need anything...just let me know."

"Yeah, sure. Thanks..." She answered vaguely and Sakura bit her lower lip but nodded dubiously before she left Ino's room without another word.

Ino sighed and decided to close her door and lock it before turning to her desk, reaching for her computer. Guess it was time to look for another job yet again. The temptation to go online and chat on the social network didn't really call out to her thus she settled for checking her mail, remembering the man from a few hours prior.

_Wonder where the hell I am going to pull money from._

Sakura had been there to pull her out of most problems, especially financial ones. The pinkette had done well for herself, graduating from law school and rising in status and power with each case she disputed and won in court, money was the least of her concerns. She wasn't the only one, most of the Rookie Nine had clawed their way through dirt and dust to reach their prestigious positions, even Kiba, had become an infamous vet all around the land of Fire. Only Ino had staid behind.

Several didn't find this surprising, Ino had always had her priorities elsewhere, be it her self or men she never looked over a situation or opportunity unless she considered it fun. Chouji had been the first to help Ino, inviting her to work in his restaurant for the time being until she headed out to look for a proper job but after months of empty promises and complains and fire-accidents, Chouji was forced to let her out once Chouji's wife had reached the limit of her tolerance.

Following Chouji was Sakura's helping hand, giving Ino the opportunity to be her secretary, a job that Ino had enjoyed and managed easily enough on the first couple of weeks. But again, after days of missing work may it be due to hangovers or feeling depressed, Sakura was faced with the ultimatum of loosing her position or Ino, and Sakura, good Sakura being unable to choose made Ino take the decision to walk out.

And the third was Hinata; little, shy Hinata who refused to listen to her cousin's advice, and indulged Ino in her family business as an assistant. This was one of Ino's shortest jobs as she was fired within the first week by none other than Neji himself, and despite Ino hating his guts, she figured he had a good reason to kick her out, public indiscretion was one or two things she wouldn't mind avoiding in the coming years. Nonetheless, that didn't mean she regretted shuffling the Hyuuga branch member to a corner and having his way with him.

A bit skanky now that she thought about it but it had been a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Too bad they didn't continue their experiment after she got fired. _Asshole._ She pouted at the loss until she remembered _she_ was the one who ended it between them.

Anyhow, after denying assistance or help from anyone else, Ino headed her own way to try and find a way to pay her debts. So far, things were going poorly for her. She could write a paragraph on the irony and misunderstandings and she concluded that one day her misfortunes and misdeeds would be jokes to be told in the future.

Looking how things were, that day was far away from showing up.

She was greeted with a message entitled: Car Damage, sent by Kakuzu Takigakure.

_Well that was fast._ Ino bickered before she pressed forth with reluctance and disdain. The window loaded and bombarded Ino with a set of pictures of the car's area she had very well kicked with her heels from several different angles, so many she could almost laugh only that when she saw the price the amusement died there and there.

No way he was going to charge her that!

In a heartbeat she had clicked the answer button and was typing her thoughts about how he could shove that price up his ass. She'd repaired a car before, she knew how much it was and what this man was asking was twice her rent! What a joke! As soon as she send the message she let out a loud exhilarated puff. She had agreed to pay the damage but that tiny, mini scratch was hardly noticeable and hardly worth the money he was asking!

Her computer let out a little beep and she felt her heart drum at the instant response, upon reading the answer she felt her face go red with rage.

_Bastard! I'll show you cheap._

**OOooOoo**

Struggling between job hunting and avoiding pursuit from friends, acquaintances _and_ Kakuzu alike, Ino had hardly found time to spare and recall the cold note at the bottom of her purse holding the cellphone number to the silver-haired man and the door to a chance to blowing off steam.

Finding herself scrapping money from her purse in case she fancied herself a delicacy from the usual coffee shop she and Shikamaru met daily. As per usual, she made sure to look presentable and the complete opposite of her financial situation, which was a subject she eerily felt was going to be brought up by said ex-class mate.

Even so if she already could predetermine the end of their argument, counting in how stubborn and unbending both could be in certain subjects, especially when it came to Ino's life. The blond was delighted to finally have the opportunity to speak to her friend, considering how Shikamaru had been smothered in the office with several hours of work for the past few weeks since she'd last seen him.

She couldn't help the wide smile in her face; she would like to think that he was looking forward to this meeting as much as she was. Through the years Shikamaru's career sparked and with very passing day presented a promising future to the young Nara prodigy.

Ino felt like a smothering mother but she was just so proud! Shikamaru was one of those people that she desperately wished the bests of things happened to him, though she obviously would never tell him that and insist on mistreating him and biting on whatever she could grasp her hands on.

Once arriving at the location, Ino vaguely noticed Shikamaru had not arrived, taking a peek at the clock she predicted his arrival within the next ten minutes-knowing punctuality be among his lacking traits. She enjoyed to sway her way to the counter where she ordered the smallest and cheapest drink, a bit disappointed that the male before her wasn't paying attention. And when he did look at her, it was demanding money.

Ino grumbled as this act reminded her of Kakuzu and with a grumble gave in the money and headed to the tables outside, picking a spot where she could watch the people walk past her, her eyes raking over the crowd to try and spot the unmistakeable pineapple hairdo. After ten minutes of waiting, she grew bored of waiting and her eyes subconsciously slipping to linger over every man that walked past her, occasionally making eye contact and letting out a few winks and smiles here and there until she realized that one of the men she was winking was none other than Shikamaru Nara himself.

_Cross-fire_! Was all that dropped into Ino's mind like a hammer.

"Uh, what are you doing?" He asked and Ino felt like carving a hole and dipping her head in it while Shikamaru pulled a chair and made himself comfortable in the seat opposite to hers, waving dismissively when noting her obvious embarrassment. "Don't tell me, I think I've got a pretty good idea."

"Oh, shut up, Shikamaru!" She screeched when his laugh became evident. "How are things going at the office?"

"Same ol'. A lot of paperwork and ol' men arguing and then solving cases. Quite boring and tiring if you ask me, but a man must bring food to the table."

It was in these infuriating moments that Ino recalled why she had given up on ever fetching after Shikamaru; his lack of gossip and communication, that and the fact that Temari would tear her apart if she even smelled something was up. Actually, Ino was surprised Temari hadn't appeared out of the blue, summoned by the misguided act of debauchery just before. Not like she was afraid, she just wanted to keep things between them. She had enough problems as there is.

Ino snorted. "I'd like to hear you say that in front of Temari." Shikamaru made a face. "Speaking of which, how has she been?"

"Quite good actually, she got promoted last week." Ino couldn't help but internally curse the woman, she simply was and had everything Ino couldn't. _Bitch. _She was jealous, she admitted it, but hell, how could she not? "Was a bit stressed when she didn't hear about Kankuro for about two months."

"Gone to Kiri, right?"

"Well, since we last heard, he sent us a card from Kuro. God knows what he's up to,"

"Up to no good, that's what. That kid is going to get himself killed." Ino retaliated. She'd known Kankuro, he was a good guy with a rich desire to travel, perhaps a little too extreme on certain subjects for the blonde's taste and extremely over-protective of his siblings, but a kind heart nonetheless

"And that would be troublesome." Shikamaru sighed not to regretfully. "I heard you got fired, again."

To his credit, he pretended to look shocked. What a smart-ass.

Ino, already knowing this was coming, had an answer ready in line. "Oh I got a job looking right around the corner, I got a good feeling about this one!"

Still, Shikamaru's expression hadn't changed. "That's what you said about the last one."

"No really! Anyways, you don't need to worry. I am doing perfectly fine." Ino lied. She could be a pretty good liar but when it came to Shikamaru her lies stuck out like a sore thumb and she absolutely hated it.

"If you just had-"

Shikamaru was one of her favorite people, he didn't pity her and had no problem leaving her to her own resources. In fact, he'd been among the very few of her friends to not lend her a hand, she had once brought this up before, her intention being to tease him and the response she got hit her like a brick in the face. Ultimately, Shikamaru made it clear that she was old enough to be able to pull herself out of this mess and it was her own fault she had stooped into such a shit-hole.

He had a way with words that Ino wasn't sure she despised or loved. It was an eerie in-between.

"Stop it, Shikamaru, I'm not in the mood for this." Ino didn't intend to sound so harsh but she was simply sick and tired of the same argument. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I haven't seen you in weeks, can we please just have a normal conversation and refrain from arguments? If it makes you feel better, I promise to come to your doorstep if things are bad."

"Don't make promises you can't keep." He was right, she was to prideful to show up at anyone's doorstep like a lost pup to ask for help. "Anyways, I was meaning to bring this up, a friend of mine is looking for extra help in his business as someone just dropped out of the blue. Its nothing big but it goes down your alley and as you're in need of money-no offense- I figured you'd be interested."

Ino narrowed her eyes. Why was he helping her now? Was she that much of a lost hope that he feels the need to intervene? Then again, she was in no position to let an opportunity fly by just because she felt her pride had been kicked and stepped on.

"You just have to commit to it, you can't skip hours or miss days. That shit doesn't fly, especially on his book." When Ino gaped at him indignantly Shikamaru couldn't help a thin smile on his lips. "And don't pretend you haven't done it before either. You call me a slacker but maybe you should look in a mirror."

"I don't sleep on the job!"

"No," He agreed, pulling out a pack of cigars and taking a roll in his lips, lighting it and taking a drag before snapping his eyes up at her with a sardonic grin. "You flat out skip it."

Ino felt her eyebrows drop, her frown making her forehead ache, and unable to take the smugness of the Nara she leaned over and snatched the cigar from his lips and threw it to the ground. Shikamaru retaliated with a scowl but finding that fighting with Ino on the matter was useless he rolled his eyes and leaned against his chair. "So are you ready to make that commitment, Ino? I'm trusting you with this."

Ino thought about it hard. She hated to be accepting help from Shikamaru but at the same time, her options were running scarce and she was desperate for money. Not only that, something at the pit of her stomach coiled unpleasantly at the thought, there were several things that made her uneasy about the proposition.

Firstly, she barely had any idea what the job was, secondly, no grasp on the working hours, and thirdly, if she was going to earn more than the other job she'd applied. As if reading her mind, Shikamaru leaned over and grabbed her hand in his and offered one of those, very scarce Shikamaru-smiles. "Trust me, it'll be worth it; he pays _very_ well."

Ino sighed and struggled to mimic his smile. "Alright." Somehow, talking her into things was not that difficult any more. "What's the job?"

"Funeral services."

Sure. Why not?


	3. Chapter 3

Just smile and be friendly, or like Naruto so bluntly liked to put it 'Just don't talk and you'll be fine'. _Thanks Naruto_.

Ino tapped her shoe against the floor, her teeth nibbling her lower lip as she looked at the nurses and doctors and patients walking past her without a second look, the wait making her anxiety grow.

It'd been a long time since she'd been in a hospital, and it had been a less than pleasant visit she didn't plan on doing ever again. Alcohol poisoning was one hell of a thing-not like she remembered the actual event, just the painful aftermath and boy had it been one embarrassing moment to find Tsunade being the first thing to meet upon her wake, her short eyebrows knitted together to form a disappointed scowl.

What could she say? She seemed to have that effect on people. But that wasn't the reason why she had dropped out from Tsunade's apprenticeship, it didn't matter anymore actually.

"Yamanaka Ino?" The blond jumped right out of her seat and walked to the woman's side, a shy smile on her face. The redhead looked her up and down with an unimpressed look and with a gesture informed her to follow down the corridor.

Shikamaru had said it was along her alley, she didn't exactly know what he had meant except from the fact that she had a bachelor's degree on medicine and mortuary sciences. Keeping those things in mind, she got a pretty good idea where this was headed, grasping onto something, anything that might convince her peer she was a good pick for the job.

Upon arrival at their destination the woman knocked on the door, getting a faint 'Come in' and without further hesitation opened the door and guided Ino inside. Ino immediately raked her eyes around the room, noting how characteristically clean and organized it was, along with plain and boring.

She looked at the woman but she met with an already closed door, Ino turned back around and stood in silence for a few moments, eyes flickered everywhere around the room in nervousness before landing on the large seat behind the desk, which was turned around, blocking the man from view.

"I have a busy day and hardly have time to conduct a proper interview, I hope you don't mind the informality of it." She heard a male voice call indistinctively from the turned chair. Ino remained rooted to her post, her headshot and paperwork hanging from her limb fingers.

"That's alright, I understand, sir." Ino quickly butted in, making sure to sound as polite and educated as possible. She looked at the chair sitting in front of the desk, noting out odd it was there was only one chair.

"Take a seat." He directed and Ino did as instructed quickly, heart pounding and teeth grinding.

"Thank you for seeing me in such a short notice, sir." Was all she could manage.

"No, thank you for coming." There was a slight creak from the chair as it was turned around and revealed the spokes man. Ino gaped, feeling her mind reel into a sea of clashing thoughts. In an instant she rose a hand and pointed at the seated man accusingly.

"You!" A wave of courses railed through her mind, the deja vu of restless nights of fighting and insulting in an attempt to finally come to an agreement of payment over a ridiculously acute scratch on the hem of a car raked her mind. The man's face remained unchanged but Ino saw the flicker of recognition in his eyes and soon after her first words slipped out of her lips, he spoke.

"This interview is over." Demanded Kakuzu with a low, feral growl and Ino felt the pit of her stomach sink at those words. And as Kakuzu leaned over the desk to press a button and give the order to his secretary to take the blonde away, Ino was on him, taking his arm and putting an end to his actions.

"Wait! Please wait! I know we've had our differences and misunderstandings but I really, really, really need this job!"

"Should have thought about that before you scratched my car."

"Did your mom never teach you not to hold grudges?!" The glare Kakuzu gave her was answer enough. _I guess not. _"It's not like I kicked you car on purpose! Give me a break!"

Still felt good though, and you did deserve it.

"No, but you refused to pay me back after you gave me your word to pay repairs for any damaged caused." Kakuzu seethed, she felt his arm move and she put more pressure into her hold. "And should I remind you of your last eloquent message? I'm even surprised a woman like you has such vocabulary."

Ino cringed, aware she was on the loosing road. Thus, she took a different route, one that lead away from their horrendous email experience. "Come on! I barely have enough money to survive as it is, how do you expect me to pay you? Give me this job and I'll pay you the repairs of your car."

"You're insufferable and a headache, why would I want to work with you when there are so many others out there willing to work in the first place?" Kakuzu reasoned, a mix of annoyance and irritation in his voice. Ino knew she was running out of time, she had to work fast, come up with something that would ease this man's thirst.

"Because I am awesome company?" Ino gave her sliest smile and batted her eye lashes in hopes that would move the man in any way. But Kakuzu simply glared at her and when he realized she was not going to drop the act one eyebrow rose as if saying 'Nice try', and when he stretched his hands to the button Ino grabbed his hand again, disheveling the papers on the desk and scattering the pens over the organized desk.

Angry green eyes met with imploring blue once again. "I'll work twice the working hours! I won't be a problem at all, you won't even know I'm there! I won't make you regret it! I promise!" Kakuzu stared long and hard and under the heavy scrutiny of his gaze Ino quickly added. "I will pay your car's damages ASAP! You can even make sure of that seeing as you're signing my paycheck!"

Ino felt her skin crawl and heart clench at the lack of emotion in those eyes, wondering if she had managed to sway him in any way, to convince him she was utterly desperate -which to be quite frank, she is. Usually she was good at reading people's thoughts but this man was an empty canvas, a cold, unfeeling void. She jerked slightly when he reached over and snatched her resume from her hands, and flinched from her hold and sat back to flip through the two pages gratifying her with one last scowl before green eyes dropped to the thin white paper.

If looks could set things on fire, Ino could swear her resume would explode into flames. But she'd rather an inanimate object be the focus of Kakuzu's glares. _Better it than_ me.

Ino retreated into her seat, nails digging into her palms and heart drumming in her chest. It seemed to take an eternity for Kakuzu to read, Ino watched silently how his irises subtly moved to follow the wording of the page, not once blinking. Under the table, Ino kept her limbs locked onto each other, fingers curled into small, shaking fists. When his eyes travelled their way up to her Ino could have sworn she stopped breathing.

"You dropped out of apprenticeship. Tsunade's no less." He said flatly, and Ino wondered if he was simply saying that or actually demanding for an explanation. She flipped the coin.

"I had certain issues at the time, I deemed it best to discontinue my studies."

Kakuzu hummed, the sound low, throaty and distant. "I see." He skimmed the paper once again. "You've worked on several places in a very short amount of time."

Ino found herself at a lack of words. Was there any way she could successfully talk herself out of this one? _Yeah, I quit because all of them had pretentious assholes in them, but hey, that's okay! I have plenty of practise now that I'm applying to a job where my boss will be a pretentious asshole!_

"Why's that?"

"I-uh-" Shit. Guess there was no point in lying. "I-I-um...I got fired, I encountered several issues with my costumers." She looked up quickly to find him staring. "But hey, I will be working with dead people. I can handle them just fine." Her attempt at humor was not taken the way she had hoped so.

"Right," Kakuzu dragged on before looking back at the papers, leaving Ino to drown in her self-loathing even further.

_He despises me._

"Alright," He growled, and tossed her resume her direction, an act that Ino found incredibly rude but decided to let it fly just now, busy with the overflow of emotions railing inside her in good hopes. "I will send you this months schedule and the workplace address tonight, you will start working on Monday sharp with a salary of-"

"Thank you!" Ino chirped. She could almost hug Kakuzu right now! She almost did but one disapproving look from him and she regained her composure. "Sorry, continue."

Kakuzu cleared his throat. "Your salary will start of as two hundred fifty thousand and five hundred ryo monthly and-"

He was interrupted when Ino's feet jerked and kicked the hard wood board of the desk, making the table shake and rattle the objects on top. At this, Ino went bright red but couldn't stop the thin smile on her lips while Kakuzu was still wondering _why_, why in the name of all that is good and sacred would he want to have this...this _monster_ as a co-worker, even worse, an assistant?

Immediately, a voice reminded him that she had indeed agreed to work twice the hours for the ordinary salary and that he also needed help. Unlike what he'd told Ino, he barely had anyone who wanted to work with him, and those he had managed to scrape from the floor were less than adept for the job. So far, Ino was the best choice.

It was a win-win situation. Of sorts, if his sanity was out of the list.

His eyes dropped to Ino's hands, now carelessly resting at the opposite edge of the desk, and recalled the bruise in his cheek days after their encounter those delicate looking hands had caused on him, and that was saying something. To be just, he had been caught of guard, otherwise, those thin hands would have cracked at contact. His eyes rose to meet Ino's, distraught to find that same shit-eating smile Hidan has.

Oh, dear Kami. He hoped his temperance was as vast as his ambition.

**OooOooO**

After finishing business with Kakuzu and as soon as Ino was safe and away from his office, she searched into her purse for her phone, recurring thoughts of calling Sakura and letting her know the good knows invading her mind. She couldn't believe it, she had a job, a proper job! At the brute pull, a small piece of bent paper flied down from her grasp and Ino looked at it questioningly before picking it up, when she read it she recalled her worst night ever before it was overshadowed by this wise-cracker's smile.

Ino examined the picture of the male, pleased with what she saw and recalling their banter before departing. Straightening herself up she flipped her phone on and pressed the necessary digits and pressed the cool metal to the side of her face as she guided herself to the exit.

She remembered the first time she had been given a phone number, she had been so nervous to call, her mind crawling with vicious ideas and overthinking things to the point it made her usual confidence crumble. However, after years of practise, this was an art Ino had grown used to and when she heard the sound of the phone being answered she couldn't stop the smile in her face.

"Hellow," Purred a male voice and Ino grinned. Points for the sexy phone voice.

"Hidan, is it? Remember me?"

"Karin?" He snapped, the harshness of his voice catching Ino by surprise. "I already told you to stop fucking calling me, I'm not interested."

"Um...no. It's Ino?" Nothing..."The girl who kicked your friend's car." _Who now turns out to be my boss and controls my paycheck_. She hated to identify herself in such a way but it really had been the only defining moment of their encounter, Kami knows how many blondes this guy crossed paths with. A guy with those looks was certain to have a lot of attention.

"Ah! Of course," His tone took on that charming, delightful edge and Ino couldn't help feeling her smile grow. "You did call. You must have seen something you liked."

Despite the unbearable smugness in his voice, Ino couldn't contradict him because she _had,_ indeed, seen something she very much liked, and he had made his opinion and interest clear when he gave her his number. "Perhaps," Ino teased. "If I recall I did say I was going to think about giving you a chance."

"I'm glad you did. So what can I tempt you with?"

"Well, I am free from here on to this weekend so I was wondering if you'd like to catch dinner or perhaps a movie?" A movie sounded great, but she wanted to see what he'd like too.

"I finish work at nine. So how about a movie, I've been dying to see this one film and haven't found anyone to go with."

"Your search ends here." Ino assured, playing with her hair, hoping she had sounded more seductive than her words limited to. A movie sounded good, and telling by his appearance and how he carried himself, he would certainly be into some sort of action pack or horror-gore movie. Even if she found them slightly distasteless, Ino found they were the best to maneuver just as easily.

"Great, the films starts at ten fifty five. How about I pick you up around ten?"

Points for the car-if he has a car. Extra if he was talking about a bike! _I'll shoot myself if he dares come in a bicycle._

Ino looked at her clock; six thirty. Yeah, plenty of time to harass her wardrobe _and_ Sakura for her second opinion. "Sounds great!"

"Awesome, can't wait to see you, babe."

"See you soon."

As soon as she hung up, Ino couldn't help the slight butterflies fluttering in her stomach and let out a shaky breath. She had a good feeling about this one, he was funny, charming and _smocking_ hot. Her cellphone vibrated and Ino looked at the screen to see a text from Hidan.

I FORGOT TO ASK. WHAT'S YOUR ADDRESS? - H

Ino laughed, yes, this was going to be fun.

**OooOooO**

"You look fine Ino! Come on get a move on, he's going to be here any minute!" Sakura mussed, finding Ino in her hundredth and thirty two outfit tugging the shirt and puffing her curled up hair as she examined her body from every angle.

"You don't think I look fat in this, do you?" Asked the blonde with a preoupied frown, running her hands down her torso. Sakura rolled her eyes, how could someone with a body like that wonder if they're fat? Sometimes, women were as much of a puzzle to her as they were to men. Ino gave another turn and stands on her tiptoes to check out her backside. "Oh my god! My ass looks humongous in this, why didn't you tell me?!"

Sakura face palmed and rubbed her sore eyelids. She was glad to hear things had taken a turn for the best for Ino but her friend's overenthusiasm had begun to take a toll on the young lawyer. She had planned on coming home and celebrate the good news with ice cream and snacks and a chick flick, because nothing sounded more appealing than to pig out in the company of friends after a day of life-draining work, but once she got home she found the house stinking with perfume and clothes hanging from every corner in Ino's room.

"Your ass doesn't look humongous, it looks just fine!" Sakura insisted.

"You're not even looking!" Ino accused and Sakura dropped her hand and with a heavy sigh examined her friends costume again. She had to admit, she looked good, not something she would wear now a days but Ino somehow fitted into the tight red colored trousers and strapless white shirt with no problem. "So? Too slutty? Too plain?"

It was a first date, she _had_ to make the best first impression.

"You look sexy, though I wouldn't wear stilettos."

Ino looked at her feet then back at her friend. "Why not?"

"Uh, it's a _fucking_ cinema? You're going to bust your teeth on one of those endless stairs." Sakura said with practicality. "How about some flats?"

"_Flats_?! Are you kidding?" Roared Ino. Sakura breathed in deeply, she forgot she was talking to Konoha's _diva_.

"How about my ankle boots, they are short, thick heel and look awesome." She disappeared from the door frame, turning back into the room after a brief moment, holding a pair high in the air. Ino took them in her hands and looked at them with scrutiny.

And with an encouraging gesture from Sakura the blonde removed her heels, searched for socks and putted them on. She went to the mirror and looked at her reflection, a satisfied grin on her face. She turned and jumped on Sakura, hugging the girl tightly, thanking her for her gratitude.

There was a loud ringing beep and Ino jolted in excitement. She ran to the phone and picked up. "Yes?" She grinned and clicked a button on the buzzer. "Come in. Tenth floor, to your left from the elevator, down the corridor and the last door to your left, door number 1008." She hung up and ran to Sakura's side. "He's here, he's here!"

Sakura had to grab Ino and hold her down. "Calm down, Ino! Geez, it's like we're back in high school! What makes this guy so special?"

Ino didn't know why she was so energized herself, maybe it had been the fact she had stuffed her face with chocolate an hour prior, or the fact she had gotten a well-paying job or just the exhilarating feeling of having things go as she wanted, or maybe it was the fear that this was far too good to be true. Whatever it was Ino, was hoping for the best outcome.

There was a loud ringing noise and Ino realized she was missing her purse. Shit! She ran to her room, looking over the corner to the tired pinkette. "Sakura, could you get that, pretty please?"

"When you ask so nicely how could I refuse?" Teased Sakura as she headed for the door, leaving Ino to dig through the mountain of clothes. Feeling her heart stop when she heard the door creak open and the muffled sound of intelligible talking.

_Deep breath, Ino. Deep breath. You've got this!_

After the slight self-esteem-boost, Ino looked in the mirror again making sure to look impeccable before she appeared around the corner, catching Hidan leaning against the wall with hands buried in the pockets of his jeans.

Upon her entrance to the room, Hidan tilted his head back and, to her disbelief, sniffed the air before turning her direction with a wolfish grin. Feeling her jaw grow slack at the simple gesture Ino held on to the edge of the door frame, holding her breath and fingers digging into the hard wood.

_Fucking hell!_

He looked... _good_.

"Hey." He greeted with a slight smirk.

"Hey."

She didn't want to be obvious or anything but her eyes had taken a life of their own and were drinking in his form unsubtlety.

Luckily, she wasn't the only one.

Hidan's eyes lingered on her eyes for a second before they dropped below her chin, eagerly inspecting down her length and drinking in her form, a satisfied smile mirroring the one on Ino's face.

She felt a wave of pride override her; to see him mesmerized before her, absolutely dumb-struck- letting her know that her efforts were completely worth it- to be able to see the shock, amazement and indisputable hunger so openly and to know that those emotions, so feral and animalistic and so passionate were directed at her, and her alone.

She took an internal note to pick up on how intently Hidan was staring at her boobs later on. Some part of her said that she should hold herself with value, that she should be offended by his obvious carnal desire and that she should give herself respect if she wanted to gain some in return, but majority of her was a bundle of hormones.

The way he was looking at her...it was as if her clothes had been torn and bared nude. For him to see everything, all of her. And she loved it.

An uncomfortable cough coming from Sakura snapped Hidan out of his trance and his eyes went back to Ino's, his irises a darker shade of purple. An invitation she was far too eager to accept.

"So, are you ready?"

* * *

Thank you for reading, please review and let me know your thoughts? :)


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